Responding to questions from the Opposition in the National Assembly on Friday, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport Charles Ramson Jr. indicated that the aim is to open the Cliff Anderson Sports Hall for public use by September 30, 2024.
The indoor facility is currently under renovation and according to the minister, there were periods during the upgrades when teams still used it for training purposes.
The Minister noted that the Homestretch Avenue facility would have to be closed again to allow for the continuation of other works, such as installing bucket seats, but this “will not be a lengthy closure.”
Thus far, work has been completed on plumbing, the main roof, side walls, the face and extension of the northern front, and the sealing of units and vented walls.
The outstanding works are HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) and finishing on the inside. Based on the work programme, it is expected that these will be delivered within the timeline.
The installation of the air-conditioned units is expected to be done around the date of September 30 as the facility is being transformed to international standards.
Some of the new features will include a remodeled public entrance, corporate boxes, four dressing rooms in keeping with international standards, Anti-Doping rooms, and physiotherapists’ rooms.
According to the Minister, “this project is in keeping with the President’s vision of creating Guyana as a premier destination for world-class events of which this hall having an air-conditioned facility which is modern and caters for corporate sponsors appropriately advances that vision.”